Amerks Lose to Utica Comets 4-1, Winless Streak Hits Nine Games

Nine games without a win. The number keeps climbing for Rochester, and Wednesday night's 4-1 loss to the Utica Comets at Blue Cross Arena provided a fitting summary of how this stretch has gone: solid goaltending, a one-goal response, and then the special teams collapsing in the worst possible way.

Devon Levi was sharp, stopping 38 of the 42 shots he faced in his 40th appearance of the season, a workload that tops every netminder in the AHL. His counterpart, Jakub Málek, was equally composed, making 30 saves to earn his third straight win and 10th of the season. The scoreless first period reflected that standoff, with both goalies making timely saves while each team's penalty kill cleared an early man-advantage situation.

Rochester found the net first after that opening frame. Jones scored what would be the Amerks' only goal of the night, moving him to within one point of 50 for his professional career, with Ryan Johnson and Konsta Helenius picking up the assists. It was a brief moment of optimism. Utica answered with two power-play goals in a span of 3:34 to seize a 3-1 lead heading into the second intermission.

The third period turned from frustrating to deflating in a single sequence. Trailing by two, Rochester was awarded its fifth power play of the game at the 8:08 mark of the final period. Instead of converting, the Amerks watched former teammates Austin Strand and Kyle Criscuolo combine for a shorthanded goal against their old club. Strand finished with a goal and an assist on the night; Criscuolo added two helpers. The shorthanded marker made it 4-1 and ended any realistic hope of a comeback.

Angus Crookshank and Matyas Melovsky each contributed 1+1 nights for Utica, with Brian Halonen and Xavier Parent rounding out the scoring.

The loss dropped Rochester to 24-22-5-4 on the season and closed out the 10-game season series against Utica at 5-4-1-0, a sharp decline from the Amerks' 10-1-0-1 mark in that matchup a season ago.

There are individual bright spots worth noting. Helenius has been one of the better stories on the roster lately, posting 13 points on five goals and eight assists over his last 12 games since returning from his first career NHL recall on Feb. 6. Johnson's assist Wednesday was another quiet contribution from a steady presence.

But the team-level picture is harder to spin. Nine games without a win is a stretch that demands answers from a lineup that still has playoff aspirations. Rochester gets a quick reset opportunity when the Toronto Marlies visit Blue Cross Arena on Friday, March 13, opening a home-and-home set against the North Division rivals. Coverage on 95.7 FM/950 AM WGR Rochester and AHLTV on FloHockey begins at game time.